


Return to Crystalline Waters

by LetzebuergvanGrijs



Series: Return to Crystalline Waters [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gothic, M/M, Multi, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:28:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8485846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetzebuergvanGrijs/pseuds/LetzebuergvanGrijs
Summary: After serving a full ten years in the United States’ Navy; Captain Alfred F. Jones is finally retiring from his long service, to live out the rest of his days in the bliss of his family. His Husband, Benjamin Otto Jones, has raised their two children with the help of his siblings in Alfred’s absence. To sustain his current state of bliss Alfred will need to readjust to a society he has been away from for far too long. However, there are many inconveniences that deter this goal





	1. Chapter I: Distinguished Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning from the navy at the age of twenty-nine, Alfred F. Jones rejoins his domestic life to live out the rest of his years in bliss with his family and friends.

  
The sweet and gentle winds blew through the soft, sandy blond hair. The sound of water crashing up against the massive military vessel pleased the sailor who was now approaching his third decade of living. He missed his husband dearly and felt excited to be back on the sweet shores of Boston. This reunion with his family would be spectacular; his brother Matthew and his cousin Yolanda, had agreed to be back in Boston for his return and they both swore an oath of secrecy to not mention it to his husband. The very thought of seeing Benjamin again made his heart flutter with excitement. How big had his children gotten? Hannah and Willem were both seven at the least by now.

     Once his thought was finished Alfred looked over to Arthur who would be going with him. “You know Alfred. . .” The Englishman began and continued after a short pause. “I've always thought of you and Benjamin as my only family since we got on this vessel together. . . I just want to thank you for that, I never really had that when I was growing up and with you two I actually feel great about life.” Arthur had a smile on his face, a smile that was decorous yet grateful. He looked to the Graveyard of Poseidon and Neptune. A vast world overrun by nature, yet to be explored, and what had been explored only amounted to half a tenth of the total ocean.

     Arthur always wished to be the man to explore those waters, to provide wisdom to the next set of explorers. Upon the sound of his name being called he looked towards Alfred with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry I didn't catch that. What did you say?”

     The deeply tanned man gave a smile which suggested he was acceptably tickled at the situation he had witnessed. “I asked what you meant by that.” He had never heard Arthur’s Biography, just bits and pieces his friend felt like sharing now and then.

     Arthur looked over to him, his emerald eyes a little wide. He sighed briefly before beginning his soliloquy. “Well Alfred. When I was first born my parents had come from England, the cost of me being born here was unexpected and they couldn't afford it.” He frowned slightly before continuing. “So as a result they left me in an orphanage. No one adopted me and they even called me a demon child, eventually when I was an adult I joined the navy but before then I read books and stole money from the nuns so I didn't have to read things about God all the bloody time. Then after training in the military I found myself here."

     Alfred nodded a bit before he looked at the Harbour of Boston. He went back to his sight seeing; the ocean had beautiful dolphins soaring through the air, when they sprung from the crystalline waters and back in. Any moment now, any moment he would be back at home and reunited with his family. However, Arthur wasn't excited but rather anxious, he wasn't sure if Ben would let him take asylum in their home.

 

~~~

 

     Upon their swift arrival to the Boston Harbour, Alfred and Arthur headed towards the nearest bus station, things were going to be interesting. The naval captain had seen videos of how people react to their family member returning to them for the remainder of their life, and he wondered how his husband would react.

     The city was as beautiful as he remembered, with the magnificent concrete below, shining like pearls under the feet of civilians that walked along, with towers, tall enough to pierce into the heavens and touch the throne of Gods standing like sentinels at their sides. Truthfully, Alfred had always been astounded by the way these towers were built and now that he had time he would consider pursuing a career in mechanics. He had earned his Bachelor’s Degree in automotive technology while off duty; his father had been a wonderful mechanic in Boston when they were growing up and his mother was a psychologist.

     Before he joined the military, Alfred had found himself to be a physician of cars. Dismantling, naming, repairing. It all had seemed to come naturally to him. These thoughts of machinery and factories pleased him, of the smoke and and fumes of work, followed by the gentle pangs of the metal hitting metal. All of these efforts combined to make a car which would go into the world and meet other cars. 

     He and Arthur had begun to make small talk, beforehand they had boarded a bus for the small town of Lexington and were now headed to the magnificent houses. The conversation was initiated by Alfred in an effort to break the silence they had experienced. The world seemed to stand still for the two, a few civilians saluted them, shook their hand or immediately gave them money to express gratitude. Neither of them would accept the money, but instead told the citizens to give the money to a charity. When they left the bus the sun had begun to set, glorious orange burning the baby blue sky. Alfred looked to Arthur as the gentle Boston winds blew through their blond hair. “So, are you excited to finally be retired?”

     Looking at Alfred, Arthur pulled his slightly long blond hair from his face, the Englishman stared longingly into the baby blue eyes as he tried to come up with an answer. “I don't know honestly. . . It feels good to be back in the only place I've really been able to call my home and now I've got to find another job that involves me doing something other than what I used to do.”

     Alfred nodded and patted the back of his very pale friend. He spoke soon after and hoped his words would help Arthur feel more stable. “Readjusting is going to be hard for us both Arthur but we can handle this, you're staying with me till you find your own place too. And quickly enough we'll find a job.”

     “Alright Alfred. . . Now which one of these buildings is yours?” Arthur began to study the comings and goings of the people who lived in Lexington, it was the evening in the magnificent town now. When Alfred had pointed to a spectacular colonial style home, it was not the largest of house in this area but it was the most beautiful. The house has appeared to have been repainted, the walled exterior had the wood refurbished and turned into a house of earthy beige, the roof was made of new dark grey tiles, black window shutters and a door which was white and had a malevolent shadow casted upon it from the orange setting sun; peeking through one of the translucent windows, beheld to the Englishman was a peaceful house but it was emptied of life. Arthur turned to his fellow veteran to report the news of an absent Benjamin.

     Humming to himself, Alfred tried to figure out where his husband could be. He looked at a house he recognised, it was the home that belonged to the Vargas family since the very beginning of English colonisation, the two families had established their roots here. The Vargas family held wealthy merchants from Italy and the Van Geisens had been some of the first settlers of Nieuw Nederland. Earlier in their histories, during the sixteenth century their ancestors had feuded over property in Boston, the two households have few quarrels now. Walking to the door made of Brazilian rosewood, Alfred raised his fist to knock on it when suddenly the door opened.

     Before the two veterans stood a short Italian man who was the mirror of his late great grandfather, Romulus Vargas. Magnificent mocha brown hair, his slim face  had a small nose; connected to those features was a pair of beautiful hazel eyes and a scowl that held the mood of ‘don't waste my time’; with a grin Alfred gave out an exhilarated laugh. The veteran hugged his childhood friend close to him and soon said cheerfully to the Italian. “Lovi dude, I missed you!” He continued with a question. “How ya been??”

     Lovino’s antisocial scowl slowly faded into a grin, he patted Alfred’s back and muttered out a sarcastic. “Look who’s back on the mainland. . .” Then he muttered out. “What took you so long to get the hell back here?” Lovino narrowed his extravagant, emotional eyes. He found himself aggravated with his friend’s absence.

     Alfred rubbed the back of his head and felt a rainbow of emotion ranging from amused to embarrassed. “Someone had to protect your freedom overseas, y'know?” That comment earned him an eye roll from Arthur.

     “Yeáh, yeáh, Captain Jones. Now what do you want with me at this hour, shouldn't you be pounding your husband into the bed?” Lovino seemed to be very busy with something, the young man eager to get to the point.

     “Do you know where Benny is?” Alfred’s voice was filled with anticipation, his need for an answer brewing in the bubbling cauldron of his heart as he looked at the short Italian man.

     Lovino rolled his eyes before answering. “He went to the Norwegian restaurant a few blocks away. You know it, owned by Mathias, Emil and Lukas, you've been there before. A lot of times.” Lovino noticed how the Englishman who was behind Alfred stared at him with a longing emotion in his eyes. When Lovino narrowed his eyes and stared back Arthur turned red.

     “Okay dude!” Alfred waved a pleasant goodbye to his old friend who was closing the door. He walked past his fellow veteran, Arthur’s face was as red as the delicate cherry tomatoes that were growing in Lovino’s garden. They were ripe and looked ready to fall off the vine. Arthur mumbled incoherently before he started walking with Alfred.

 

~~~

 

     As the sun  completely set, Alfred found himself growing in excitement as they headed towards the marvelous restaurant named ‘Norwegian Imports’. The roads and sidewalks were lit up by luminescent lights, people who wore various colours ranging from bright to dark, most of them seemed to be joyous as they walked the streets, the cold air chilling none of them. The medium sized diner was not too far now so Alfred began to speak to his fellow veteran. “I can't wait dude!”

     Arthur felt himself smile from his friend's childish antics as they headed inside. Recognising Benjamin’s voice, the Englishman gestured to the specific table.

     “Excuse me, do you have a reservation?” Emil worked with his older brother in his establishment, he had his eyes narrowed at the two veterans. “Besides you two look fresh off the boat. Why are you here?”

     Looking down at the teenager Alfred opened his mouth to begin speaking, but Lukas walked over. “I'm sorry for my younger brother. He's new to the business and a bit anxious. What can I help you with? It's on the house, here we take care of our own.”

     “Well my brother convinced my husband to come here tonight.” Alfred rubbed the back of his head and gestured to a table. “That's him over there and I just need one thing from you.” The American man grinned down at the purple eyed man.

     “And what would that be, Mr. . . ?” Lukas held out his hand for a handshake.

     Shaking the hand Alfred replied with, “Captain Jones. And the thing I need is one of your menus.” Alfred grinned as he saw a very confused Lukas hand him a menu. “Thanks man.”

     With a grin on his face and a menu in hand, Alfred began to head towards his husbands table. He heard his dearest speaking about taxes, business and an array of things. When he heard a question about the waiter, Alfred walked up and pondered to him. “Hello sir, may I take your order?” The response he was given was the one he enjoyed the most. His Benjamin screamed out of pure excitement and suddenly had him in a tight embrace. “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy’s home!” Alfred heard the familiar children cry out in glee as they joined in the embrace of their father.

     Upon sitting in a chair, Alfred felt his younger brother pat his back and laugh. “Welcome back, Captain!” He joked and Yolanda gave him a playful punch to the arm. “Good to have you back little cousin.” Alfred’s relatives continued in their merry making before Arthur took a seat next to Benjamin.

     “Holy crap is that. . ?” Matthew’s eyes were full of delighted surprise when he noticed the British individual.

     “Arthur.” Yolanda was grinning brightly.

     “The one and only.” Arthur simply retorted as he stared at the two people. He felt himself grow astounded as he heard Yolanda give a loud scream. The Mexican-American woman gave him a sudden and very tight embrace which caused Arthur to gasp in horror. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Settle down, Christ woman you almost gave me a heart attack.” He and Yolanda soon engaged in joyful laughter.

     Benjamin and Alfred were now happily engaged in simple question answer. Benjamin was the one to begin, his voice gleeful. “When did you get back?”

     Alfred reached his hand out and held his husband’s very pale hand. “We just got back today, I headed to the house to find you but Lovino told me you came here. I missed you.” The Naval Captain raised Benjamin’s hand to place a soft kiss to it.  “How have things been? Are you alright? I don't need to bust any heads open do I?”

     “No, silly man!” Benjamin gave out a soft chuckle as he felt his hand get kissed by the soldier. “And how was the ocean?” He questioned, his face turning to excitement at the idea of hearing naval stories. When Benjamin was younger, his father and grandfather would tell him stories about the crashing waves of the ocean and the deadly creatures in it, ever since he had been a young boy he felt fascinated with marine life. However he had found himself more enticed with the world of law, of habeas corpus, a mensa et thoro and ab initio. This led to him being a lawyer with a degree from Harvard.

     Looking to Benjamin he laughed very softly. “Well, it's a bunch of long stories and they're mostly exciting. I'll have to tell them to you when we get home.” Alfred grabbed a menu and began to search for what he wanted to eat. Looking at the Norwegian menu he hummed. Soon he set it down and made sure to remember what he wanted. He looked at Arthur who seemed to be engaged in conversation with Matthew about politics.

     Beginning, Matthew had said. “Well, I had been rooting for Sanders but now since he's out I have to go for Hillary. I hate her actually but the latter of the two major candidates is a demon spawn.”

     With a chuckle Arthur soon spoke. “Well, I would have supported her but I just can't. I strongly feel that Gary Johnson is the way to go so I'm going to vote for him.”

     Soon interjecting, Yolanda muttered out calmly. “Well Secretary Clinton is clearly the best candidate because of her experienced. She was first lady as well, none of them can compete.”

     Benjamin was soon involving in the conversation himself and he added. “I'm voting for Jill Stein, me and Arthur agree that both major candidates aren't acceptable.” Turning to Alfred he inquired. “And for who are you casting your ballot?”

     Alfred sighed and took a deep breath. “Do you really want to know?” The people at the table nodded and the two children looked up curiously to their Papa, “I'm voting Trump.” Arthur and Yolanda both had a face of surprise. Matthew seemed disappointed and Benjamin was unfazed.

     Before anyone could continue Benjamin said, “Alf, I figured that you would have enjoyed Gary Johnson. He is fairly terrible on domestic policy but in foreign policy he's incredible. In fact he has nearly forty percent of the Military supporting him. Besides Trump is also sexist and a majority of his base hates people like us.”

     “Gary who now?” Alfred looked down at his menu slightly flustered. He was trying to avoid this conversation and soon their waiter arrived. “I'll have the Pinnekjøtt, and a glass of water?” his Norwegian was rather rusted and broken. Having no use just like a telegraph.

     Secretly their waiter, a man born of Greenland felt a bit offended by the butchering of a language. He simply wrote down the order and took the requests of the other guests. He exited the party and returned to the kitchen.

     “Shit I'm late!” Tim had said in hastened Dutch. He looked down at Alfred and scooted in with his brother. The sister of the van Geisens was busy on a business trip rather than being here. She had no idea that Alfred had returned. Timothy however was told ahead of time in order to help plan the party accordingly; unfortunately for him however traffic had been heavy in the city thus making him late for the get together.

     Matthew grinned at Tim whom he had been secretly dating since they were in their early teens. “Nice to see that you made it Tim.” He gave a soft chuckle of amusement.

     Tim narrowed his eyes at the Canadian and hid behind a menu. He felt increasingly embarrassed and frustrated by his lover’s sarcasm.

     Timothy had decided not to eat with the others and those mentioned had various meals in front of them. Varying from pasta and meats to salads with soups. Benjamin and Alfred were talking happily about things they had both done and seen in the past two years. Excitedly, Alfred leaned over the table to press their lips together briefly. Yolanda chuckled a bit when she saw it and Tim almost had a smile creep onto his face. The children gave sounds of ‘ew’, what most kids do to their parents.

     By the time they had finished their meals, Benjamin had been waiting on the check for the past few minutes. During that time he and Tim engaged in a pleasant conversation about the economy. To Alfred it was unintelligible noise, especially since it was in rapid Dutch that he couldn't keep up with. When the check came, Matthew and Yolanda covered a majority of the bill. Tim and Benjamin paid a third of it together; the Mexican American and the Canadian had refused to allow them to pay the sum. However they left the waiter a fifteen percent tip of the meal overall and that tip was nearly eleven dollars.

     When the waiter took the check they began to talk over full stomachs and Yolanda kept Arthur to herself since she felt intrigued in interrogating him about his trips on the sea. She asked him a barrage of questions, stemming from what his favourite activity was to how many times he had been in a battle.

     Benjamin grabbed his husband’s hand and they talked about similar things. “When did they plan this?”

     "A week or so in advance. We've got a good family, they know how to surprise you after all.” He gave a faint chuckle and looked at his two kids. Willem and Hannah were growing up so quickly, to the point where it made Alfred feel as if he was old. Looking down at the children he decided to inquire on what they had been doing since he was gone.

     Willem went first and the young lad had a face of fervour. “I play football in school now! I also managed to get on the honour roll in class!”

     Alfred gave a small nod and then looked to his daughter who seemed to have been spending too much time around her uncle Tim. Though she had a small smile on her face from seeing her father, she was not bouncing in exhilaration like her twin brother who exited the womb after her. “I'm part of the academic decathlon and help run the book club with Monsieur Bonnefoy. Alike my brother I'm on the honour roll.”

     “You make me proud.” Alfred gave them both a smile and soon said. “I'll have to play football with you soon Willem.” The veteran gave a faint chuckle and he looked at his husband who was smiling.

     Arthur was first to get out the booth on Benjamin’s side, then the children followed immediately. Then Benjamin relieved himself from the resting area. Arthur had been permitted to stay with them till he found a home of his own. They made a very swift departure since it was nearing the tenth hour of the night. Quickly, Benjamin got into their car and he began to head home. It was rather dark now and the headlights would be needy for the crowded areas of Massachusetts.

     On their way home an exchange of words back and forth began to happen; Arthur began. “So Ben, what have you been up to as of recent?”

     Benjamin turned the corner onto their street as he answered. “Nothing much. Just being a parent, nothing too big.”

     Willem interjected. “Dad, are we goin’ to play football tomorrow?”

     Alfred gave a small chuckle at that question before he looked back at his son to give a small nod. “Your sister can join us for flag football too.”

     “That sounds fun!” The young lad was now rapt with excitement and his sister soon said to him: “Fine, I can put a bit of time to the side for that but then I need to go back to studying.”

     Benjamin’s lips were formed into a small grin. Soon there was a light shower raining upon the Earth; the heaven crieth unto her sister, two celestial beings fighting over their creations as of what to do with them. A flood to reset or to let the fire continue to burn, Mother Nature loves and provides nutrition for her children despite how they spit in her face, Father Sun continues to shine down upon the lands even though his foolish kids will not accept the energy that is his light. The showers continued through the night.

     Climbing the steps to ascend into a magnificent world, Alfred followed his husband into their house. Arthur protected the children from being rained on.

 

~~~

 

     As they entered the extravagant building Benjamin took his coat off and set it on the rack. His children took off their own small coats and set them on the rack as well. The group of people looked about to the source of light in their home; a very small candle in a jar. Walking over, Benjamin turned on the light of the interior and blew out the candle.

     Now illuminated the house was presented in all its majesty. The floors were made of delicate but sturdy wood, the walls were painted a gentle scarlet and mocha brown in place, the windows which had black framing were closed and locked. There was the bark of a small dog who was happily jumping on the children. The kitchen was painted a similar red tone but it was lighter in a hue or two. There were portraits on the walls to show the families who owned this house through the many years.

     At the start of this portrait display was a colonial family in front of a very new house, a man a woman and one child, next it was a man, a woman and four children. After that there was a man a woman and two children. This cycle continued till it led into the twenty-first century and the portrait of Benjamin’s family was displayed. A tall man with broad shoulders a muscular frame next to a rather short woman who was pale and had blue eyes. Next to them stood a teenage Tim, a preteen Anri and a child named Benjamin. The portrait after that was amazing.

     A spectacular non-traditional family, Benjamin and Alfred with their kids, Timothy and Matthew stood together and Anri held the hand of a rather tall Swede with one child standing in front of them.

     Alfred marvelled at the canvas and felt his heart pump as if overjoyed. He said to his husband: “Benny, I need to take a shower.”

     “Okay I’ll go get you towels, go get in the shower.”

     Alfred did so. He ascended the steps and went into the bathroom, the walls were painted pearly white, the shower curtain was emerald green and the sink accessories were all purple. Behind the bathroom mirror were a collection of ointments, soaps, bandages, an emergency kit and other general things.

     Lazily, Alfred began to remove his clothes till he was in only his boxer briefs. The handsome veteran began to stretch his aching muscles, overworked from a day of endless walking. His spine was made of a flexible metal, seeming absurd but it was quite the opposite. He peaked out of the bathroom and looked to his lover who had towels in his hand. Benjamin was showing Arthur to the guest bedroom and explaining to him where the various things he would need were. Once that was finished the European-American man decamped to traverse to the bathroom.

     Alfred smiled and gave his lover a kiss as he took the towels. Soon he closed the door and got fully naked. The shower had been on and warmed for the time he waited. The American began to cleanse his body; his solid frame bombarded by scars of war and bullet marks. He continued to scrub, the towel was made of soft cotton and the soap was warm against him.

     As he was about to turn off the water he felt cold, as if someone had opened up one of the translucent windows and let a cold chill run through the room. Slowly he got out of the shower and got into his tight boxer briefs. Alfred went to his bedroom and snuck up behind his husband, he gave him a gentle hug. “Hello, my wonderful.” He muttered softly and kissed the top of Benjamin’s head. The taller man gave a small laugh and he nuzzled into one of the biceps. 

     “I already put the kids to bed.” Benjamin whispered. Soon he relieved himself of Alfred’s hold and got into his white briefs. The attractive man clambered lazily and tiredly into the bed, Alfred followed him and got comfortable in the soft grey and baby blue sheets. He smirked at the older of them, his husband nuzzled into his warmth and was fast asleep, how cute he was in Alfred’s eyes!

     Alfred still felt a chill in the air from his time spent in the shower despite no windows being opened. Nevertheless he drifted off into his dreams, unaware of what he would he would experience in their domain.


	2. Chapter II: Counterfeit Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon returning home Alfred began to jotice that things were incredibky different than when he left..not only that, something about the house feels odd as well.

     Alfred woke up to find himself lying in a river, the crystalline waters was shimmering under him. He sat up, the laws of physics no longer applying he would not sink or need to swim. To his shock, the water was soon boiling so he stood up. His clothes were not his own but rather a style of when he was in his youth. The sounds of screaming were heard: “Help!” They would cry and these voices sounded familiar. 

     Taking a deep breath, Alfred began to run towards those pained sounds, his body felt heated and there was a cold sweat running down his body. The water evaporated under his feet as he ran, as if he was the heat source that caused it. He found himself running on cement soon and under him was a bottomless pit. The fire had damned souls roasting in it, the half of the cement suddenly rose to a height of twenty feet. Alfred grabbed a rope and climbed the obstacle, the inner biology of the obstacle was made not only of cement but of human remains, bloodied bones that seemed to have been gnawed on by a beast.

     The earth under Alfred began to shake and his balance was lost. Tumbling into the dirt and concrete he witnessed dust flying past him. He stood and saw a set of steps. Rushing down the cement elevated path, he wished he could unsee what he had. Upon him was the thrust of anguish, he witnessed his mother and father arguing and eventually it escalated to a domestic dispute, he still remembered that unfortunately and averted his eyes.

     Then he noticed a white door. He climbed down the platform connected to the stairs and traversed along the bridge of bones to open the door. Inside of it he saw a man who appeared to be in his late twenties wearing a capelet coat which was black. He wore the boots of a colonial soldier and a gentleman’s hat and pants on. His eyes were a darkened hazel, his skin was a dark olive and his hair was brown. He balanced himself on a majestic cane and with a snap of his fingers a pit opened up for Alfred to see. He invited the American to take a look.

     Alfred took a few steps forward and he swallowed the lump in his throat before looking down into a troubling scene. The sight before him was traumatic; the dead piles of bodies, roasted and charred or drowned and ripped to pieces. He covered his mouth and looked at the stew of human body parts, heads cut off and floating about the pile of organs, faces painted red with blood, eyes cold and lifeless. It sealed soon and the man in front of Alfred gave an amused laugh. Looking up at him the sight he was given was a cane being swung directly at his face. He winced from the strike and when the nobleman went for another hit Alfred grabbed the cane and tore it away from him. Suddenly upon him were the barks of five hounds.

     That was when Alfred began to run, run through the endless black abyss until a creature pounced on him. It felt human in physique and as the creature was about to bite him he thrust awake from his dream.

     He sat up and placed his hands along his face, he felt about his skin, so warm yet his sweat was cold as ice. The sun beams were shining in the room now and the birds were chirping outside. The man sighed and laid back in bed relieved, he looked to the side of his bed and realised that his husband was not lying beside him. He relaxed in bed and tried to make sense of the dream he witnessed before the images could fade.

     Alfred heard quick footsteps so he got out of the bed on a whim before he realised it was Benjamin walking in. Alfred gave a small sigh before he stated, “It's just you.” The American walked over and embraced his dearest in a hug. “How long have I been out?”

     Benjamin smiled a bit and pressed a gentle kiss to Alfred’s forehead. “It's nine in the morning babe.” Benjamin nuzzled him happily and hugged Alfred around the waist.

     The American sighed in content from the feeling of soft hands wrapped around him, the smells of food wafting through the air made him drool in anticipation. Soon he asked his husband. “Did you make breakfast?” When he received a nod his grin widened into a crescent moon. Hastily, Alfred threw his husband over his shoulder and headed down the stairs. The house seemed so beautiful and cheerful in the morning, so much so that it caused the nightmares to be expelled from his mind and now he could start his day on a newly turned leaf.

     Alfred sat next to Benjamin and he looked at Arthur. His close friend was dressed in civilian attire which consisted of: a crisp white button up shirt, a black tie, formal dress pants and dress shoes. In one hand was a mug of black coffee and in the other a newspaper. Ain front of him was a plate; the white china was lathered in syrup and crumbs from the morning meal the Englishman had enjoyed. Arthur would use a pen now and again to circle off a job opportunity. The uncle of the family would look down to see Willem and Hannah talking in whispers, bits and pieces included things that involve pranks, school and the cafeteria. Arthur gave a small chuckle and ruffled their heads before setting his newspaper down, “Ben, may I use your computer?” When he was given a nod Arthur left the table to go to the computer room and focus on his job applications.

     The children took sneaky sips from Arthur’s black coffee to which Benjamin gave them a scolding for ‘drinking an adult type of beverage’. He had spoken about when he began to drink coffee, how much he was allowed to drink and much more. To the twins’ dissatisfaction their lawyer of a father continued to bore them, to the point where Alfred himself got bored of snooping in on the conversation.

     From the corner of his eye he saw the man who was clad in the colonial era clothing holding a dead Arthur as a puppet. Arthur’s head was dripping blood, his eyes hollowed out so scarlet liquid would drop from the sockets to imitate crying. The fowl specter forced Arthur to talk: “Help me Alfred! Protect me before I am eternally damned!” The fact that no one else noticed this forced a scream of anguish to free itself of Alfred’s mouth. The entirety of his family looked at him as if he was mad and Arthur rushed into the room.

     “What is the matter, Alfred?” The Englishman inquired with a worried expression. He was undamaged and still seemed to be as spotless as he had been before exiting the room.

     “What the hell?!” Alfred hugged himself and shook a bit from the thing he had bore witness to, the usually confident veteran felt as if he was losing his mind now. Alfred rubbed his temples and gave a deep sigh before he said to Benjamin, “I need to go see a doctor.”

     Benjamin told the children to go get dressed and he pushed them gently to entice them into doing as told. Benjamin helped Alfred walk up the stairs of their home. Alfred had felt particularly weak for some reason now and when they made it to the top Alfred was given the sight of his decapitated children. However, a moment before he could swear they came running out dressed in their winter clothes. Similar to the last occurrence, the images of them lying in a pool of their own blood was no longer visible. He shook his head anxiously and entered the bedroom.

     Alfred had put on a simple white T-shirt and he tried to put on his jeans, soon he fell flat onto the floor and hissed from the contact. He got up and rubbed the back of his head, he buttoned his pants and Benjamin had checked him for scars or blood marks from the fall. Alfred shifted his husband's hands to be removed and he headed down the stairs, clinging to the railing.

~~~

     Oddly enough, the moment they were off the property Alfred felt as if there was nothing wrong now. Regardless, they hastily drove to the doctor. Once they arrived at the large building with the name ‘Beilschmidt Medical Services’. It took no more than fifteen minutes for Alfred to be brought to the doctor’s office to which Benjamin followed him with haste.

     “Is Dad gonna be alright?” Willem asked, his face had an expression of anxiety. The panicked boy seemed to be shaking while his sister comforted him. Arthur looked down at his nephew and ruffled his hair before saying calmly. “Yes he's going to be fine.” Arthur was hoping to comfort the boy. And for a while it worked.

     As Alfred sat in front of the doctor, Benjamin watched the various tests that were done to him with a sad expression. The man who was their family physician asked the veteran. “So have you been experiencing nightmares, paranoia? Have you been having flashbacks of your military time?”

     “The first one and the second, yeah but not the last thing.” He sighed and sat back, “A very terrible one too.”

     “Okay and have you been having unwanted thoughts or hypervigilance?”

     “Yeah, I have.” he sighed yet again.

     Ludwig gave him a nod and headed to his medical cabinet to look through it, took out his papers and sat in his metal stool. The large German man hummed before he handed a slip of paper to Benjamin, “I believe he has PTSD, take him to a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and get him these pills at any pharmacy. Ludwig sat back again to go through his schedule before he looked up at the two men, “I wish you both the safest travels, and if there are more problems just return to see me.”

     Benjamin gave the doctor a nod and soon they had exited the generic white office. Ben looked at Alfred who gave a seemingly sad expression. The veteran hugged his husband close as they walked. When they returned Arthur stood up immediately.

     The British man calmly rushed to his friend and inquired. “What did the doctor say? Is he sick? Does he need to go to a hospital bed?” Arthur tapped his foot as a nervous habit and he sighed in relief soon.

     “He's not hurt. He has PTSD though. We'll head home to get something for a day out, after we get Alfred his medicine. Hopefully we can have a nice day and we'll be fine.” Benjamin sighed and continued. “Let's get going.”

~~~

     The small group exited hastily and drove back to their abode. The house seemed to be peaceful for now and everyone except for Alfred walked in without fear. The veteran however was beset with angst and a thousand horrors that his mind could fabricate. 

     He stepped inside. . .

     To his shock he experienced no nightmares. Treading lightly about his own home as if he was an intruder, the veteran opened his bedroom door fearing the worst. He was met with an empty room which evoked a sigh.

     Benjamin looked at Alfred with eyes that expressed worry and confusion, “What are you doing, my darling? Are you okay?” Benjamin hugged Alfred tightly and calmly said to the shorter man, “We're going to be fine, I promise. This is our home and no one can harm us inside of it.”

     Alfred nodded and hugged his husband back, the veteran sniffled faintly and buried his face in the taller man’s shoulder. To Benjamin this was odd, his husband never wept unless it was something of increasing importance. “Help me check all the rooms please. . .” Alfred released his hold of the other man and went into the bedroom to get dressed. Alfred gave a faint sigh and got out of his clothes, he looked to their bedroom clock and read it out of military time. “Eleven hundred hours.” He thought and grabbed a T-shirt he had owned from before his military experience, lucky for him it fit.

     The shirt had the catchy slogan that he always chuckled at: ‘I hate being sexy but somebody has to do it’. The colour of the shirt was white and the text on it was manufactured in a steel made font. It hugged his body in a gentle motherly way, Alfred grabbed his jeans and hastily put them on, a nervous sweat ran down his back, he was still in shock of the morning’s events. He buckled his belt and saw Benjamin enter the bedroom.

     The Luxembourgish man threw his shirt off and put on a shirt that said ‘my blood type is coffee’; the word ‘my’ was white and boxed off from the rest of the text, ‘blood’ sat beside it, its font large and seeming like a lazy colonial font, the word ‘type’ was written in sans font of some kind and was a mocha colour; the letter T had a drop under it that had a C stamped in black, the part that had the ‘offee’ in ‘coffee’ was the same moaca colour. Benjamin grabbed his trench coat and smiled from the grey fabric against his skin. He put on his own pants and shoes soon.

     As the small family left their house yet again, Alfred relaxed into the seat and asked, “Where are we going?” The American didn't feel like being in the house, however, he maintained his curious nature. “Ben?”

     “First we're going to CVS. Then we're going to a party next door. The Vargas boys or I usually host it, we have it every November to celebrate the snow falling soon.” Benjamin gave a faint smile and headed out the bedroom, he bumped into Arthur soon and he patted the Englishman’s shoulder. “Take the kids to the house next door, they'll let you in and we'll be there soon okay?”

    The children were sitting on the sofa in the living room downstairs while the adults talked. Hannah turned to her brother and muttered at him. “Do you believe Dănuţ will come with us to the party? I really want Pa to meet him and Dad too!” She had said that in Dutch and her brother replied in a voice that was like silk, a French tongue. “No, do not be silly, he's a ghost you and I both know that he can't.”

     “But he's really nice though! Mister and Mister Vargas are a meanies for not inviting him.” The small girl had brought herself into a pout and looked at her brother. “They're meanies.” She chirped and hugged her tanned brother.

     “They can not invite him. He's not capable of leaving the home.” Willem said in a laugh and hugged his pale sister. The boy happily pressed gentle kisses upon her cheeks evoking a soft laugh from the ghost in the room.

     Both children looked to the ghost, the malevolent being from Alfred’s dream, except he was not malevolent. The ghost was a tanned man who beamed of radiance; his capelet coat which had been torn and muddied in Alfred’s dream was appearing brand new, his dark brown hair was covered by a gentleman’s hat which was fashioned with soft fabrics on the outer layer. His tanned skin was well moisturised and his hazel eyes were emitting happiness.

     The man took a knee and opened his arms, the kids ran into him to hug their friend happily. “Have fun at the party. Okay?” He smiled down at the children and handed them a few coins from an older era before he disappeared once more, just before the adults had walked down.

     Arthur walked to the kids and took them by the hand with a smile and the Englishman began to take the kids across the street. That was when he spotted the handsome Italian man across the street. Lovino had a soft facial structure, beautiful eyes and magnificent tanned skin. Hurriedly Arthur crossed into the Vargas property and took the kids inside.

~~~

     In the meantime Alfred and Benjamin were headed to CVS. The pharmacy was made of brick and the property took up a slightly above average amount of space. Benjamin parked in front of it and exited his car, as Alfred released himself from the car as well Benjamin walked over to hold his hand. The two men entered the pharmacy and Benjamin hummed as they walked.

     Benjamin hummed as he stood close to his loving husband, he had much respect for the veteran and simply wanted to make sure Alfred could readjust and be happy. The older of the two men headed to the pharmaceutical department and looked back into the gorgeous blue eyes of his husband, a fixation on the man’s lips.

     “Ben, can I go get some chips,” was the simple question and when a nod was given in return, Alfred went to the snack location. The veteran hummed happily and whistled a tune from his childhood, Alfred maintained his momentary happiness but that was before he was set upon by the multitude of snack choices. There were too many brands of chips and too many colours with different flavours. He stood there blankly before grabbing a simple bag of Doritos, “Baby steps Alfie, baby steps. . .”

     He returned to his husband, who had the paper bag branded CVS, and he was waiting to give Alfred money for the snacks he chose. Benjamin kissed the top of Alfred’s head and handed him the cash for the snacks he wanted and followed the American man through the line.

     Their cashier was named Azarbod and Alfred was visibly nervous while he looked at the Arabic man. The Iranian immigrant gave them a smile. “That will be four dollars and fifty two cents.” Alfred hesitantly handed the Arabic man his money, he was hyper aware of the man who was near him. He took a breath to calm down and he handed Benjamin the change before leaving quicker than they had entered. Alfred held his head and grunted before getting into the car and waited for Benjamin.

     As said man entered, he said calmly to Alfred, “I know it's hard Alfred but calm down.” The graceful man patted Alfred’s arm before giving him a comforting hug. He kissed the veteran’s cheek. “This is going to be a good day, we'll have fun and we'll have drinks. You're going to love it. I promise.”

     Alfred hesitantly gave a nod and grabbed his prescription pills. He took a bottle of water from the back of the car and drank from it in order to swallow the SSRI.

~~~

     When the two arrived, they were met with a smile from the younger of the two Vargas brothers. Feliciano was the opposite of his brother; skin cream coloured and hair incredibly light. The Italian man pushed the two into a beautiful room, there were decorations based on the attributes. Feliciano was also more warming to others than his older brother. Said older brother gave them a plain wave while he watched the two children that his brother had bore run about with the kids Benjamin had. The band of five children seemed to be happy as they played. 

     Lovino looked at the already slightly drunk man named Arthur who sat next to him. The Englishman had such soft blond hair and a nice and strong facial structure. Lovino sat closer to him, the Italian man stared blankly at Arthur and took a sip from his wine before they began to talk.

     Benjamin had taken notice to this which evoked Feliciano and himself to engage in laughter. The people of this house were engaged in various fun games and delighting in alcoholic drinks while their kids played. Eventually they had gotten together to watch a tv show but that was the last thing on their agenda. For the remainder of the party they all talked amongst themselves, Hannah and Willem had nagged their fathers into allowing them to stay for the night; Feliciano was a good caregiver after all.

     Lovino sighed as the party was brought to an end and he looked at Arthur who still sat there. “I had a nice time talking to you Arthur. . . I don't get to talk to people that are like me all the time.”

     Arthur bore a face of confusion and soon asked, “People like you?” The Englishman sat up, one of his large eyebrows arched up in curiosity.

     “Yes. People who aren't happy every moment of every day even when something bad happens. Basically someone like my brother,” was all the Italian replied, his tone held its usual aloofness.

~~~

     Lovino and Feliciano waved goodbye to the three men who walked into the Van Geisen Manor. 

     Benjamin, Alfred and Arthur entered the quiet house and each of them walked off to their bedroom. Benjamin was too drunk to worry about brushing his teeth or showering so he got naked and lazily crawled into the bed. He gave a soft whine as Alfred got on top of him and whispered sweet things to him, both of them in a drunken state.

     Benjamin grabbed Alfred’s hand and gave it a gentle kiss before he rolled onto his back. The older man pulled Alfred down for a gentle kiss as he felt a large hand running down his body. The  European-American man gave soft, attractive moans as he felt Alfred begin to kiss down his body.

     This night was filled with fun and the more submissive man of the couple was clinging to his more muscular lover. Kisses were placed upon tanned and pale skins, pink and browned lips collided with each other. Soft hands roamed along bodies and the mattress’ comforter was rolled about them in their lovers’ embrace.

     Upon their end Benjamin was panting softly and hugging Alfred to his chest while the veteran hyperventilated from his exhausting work out. The two men drifted off into their own dreams happily and things had finally began to seem perfect for them once more.

     While Alfred was entangled in his web of dreams, he found himself pushed into a foreign land, his ancestral home but far before the time he had come to know it. Pleasant grass fields that had corn rising up from their soil, women in dresses who made their own clothes and helped their children with simple things, men who worked with chopping trees to make houses. They wore strange clothes: long sleeved, loose linen shirts, Jerkins, doublets, plain shoes, coats and large hats. These were strange to the Modern American named Alfred. Alfred saw a man who looked relatively similar to the being he encountered last night in his nightmare so he followed him into the Puritan Church.

     The church seemed rather familiar and it stood grandly amongst the towns of this peaceful world. There were men and women who stood from pillories and posts who were being punished for their crimes against Puritanism, there were people in bilboes and various other strange forms of punishment. Alfred had noticed all of this being in the center of a small community. The punished were mocked and tortured, greatly resembling what Alfred had learned about in schools.

     Alfred heard a minister speaking in the church and he pushed the doors open to observe, when he realised that he was essentially unseen by those that lived there. His eyes looked up to see a preacher. Alfred was put into a state of surprise, he looked at the man with fondness but also resentment. The American veteran began to walk forward, not understanding if this was a dream or reality any longer.


	3. Chapter III: Relaying a Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a nightmare of an encounter Alfred tells his side of the story to Benjamin.

     Alfred heard the soft chirping of birds. Their sweet melody resonated within his being, this was the same morning as it had always been, warm and comforting as the youthful sun shone down on the beings of earth. Alfred looked at the morning sun with squinted eyes and a tilted head. He couldn't comprehend what he had seen. It was an enigma to him, that society which had been the opposite of their own.

     The veteran rubbed his eyes and reached out for his glasses soon, the world was only blurry to a certain degree. Alfred looked at those special frames, prescribed to him by their optometrist. The American placed the glasses on and took the opportunity to sit there in silence, trying to collect his thoughts and make an understanding of what he had seen.

     Alfred grabbed one of the journals his husband had set in a drawer for him, he grabbed a pen and began to write slowly. It took him moments to gather the many thoughts that went through his mind, they were foreign to him since they had not been a dream but rather an experience. He critiqued his own handwriting, when had been the last time he wrote an actual letter or wrote in a journal rather than typed his things? Alfred grunted, he set both objects to the side and gave a sigh. He rubbed under his eyes, making sure his  lids were completely clean. That was when Benjamin walked in.

     “Good morning, Alfred. How did you sleep?” The European-American had questioned upon entering the room. He gave a small gasp of shock when he was pulled into bed by his younger husband. “What are you doing?” Benjamin enquired. That was when he noticed a small content sigh escape from Alfred's lips. Benjamin gave a small eye roll but held a smile while massaging the back of Alfred's head. When Alfred made a noise that was somewhat of a grunt, he looked down into the baby blue eyes his lover possessed and questioned him. “What is the matter my dear, why do you seem downcast? It's pretty outside.”

     “I-. . . -I had a dream and I must tell you about it. All of it.” Alfred retorted and hugged his partner tight to him. When given a nod of approval he sat up, beginning to speak.

     I had found myself in this nightmare of a place. I rushed around the area, it was darker than an abyss. While I had been walking around, a mountain was forming under me and at its peak the slope was impossible to walk down, so I simply slid down. When I managed to make it down I found an opening in the ground, shaped as though it were a door. So, I opened up the door saw set of cobblestone steps. I had found myself in front of this man who had been frequent in my dreams.

     He was dressed like a colonist in a way, I remember because of my history class; I had always been interested in those times. So this man looked to be in his late twenties wearing a capelet coat that was black, the jacket was dirty and seemed as if it were beaten up. He had boots on that looked like they were made for battle, which makes me believe he was either involved in revolutionary America or the beginning of the country, I don't know. He wore a gentleman’s hat and pants. His eyes were quite dark and he seemed to hold malevolence in his heart. His skin was olive, darker than mine though, and his hair was brown. Finally, he had a cane.

     So, I saw him and he looked at me with a dark grin. He always seemed to enjoy torturing me and the reason I felt weak yesterday was because I kept seeing him around the house, I don't know what's happening anymore-”

     Benjamin interjected and hugged his spouse tightly. He gave the man a few pats on the back and whispered to him. “It's okay, just continue.” Benjamin wiped away one of Alfred's tears and could tell his lover was going through trauma.

     Alfred nodded and resumed his story. “So, when I opened up the door he stood at the bottom of the steps with that dark grin. When I tried to back away from him he went up the steps completely in less than a second. It was terrifying. . . I had no idea what was going to happen and what did happen still confuses me on why it did. So, he grabbed my hand with a tight grip and for a moment I thought he would break it! Since he had such a grip I reluctantly followed him.

     He pulled me down the steps and it got darker and darker until I felt myself fall against something that was like concrete. There was a loud scream, and I found myself being pulled out of the ground like a weed by the man who kept appearing. His name is Dănuţ. So, when Dănuţ pulled me out of the ground I looked around to see a strange land.

     There were corn fields that stood taller than me, the ears of corn seemed to be fresh and magnificent. There was an abundance of livestock with the people. Those people wore clothes of austerity, they looked like pilgrims. But anyways, in the town it was summer and the people didn't seem extremely joyful for some reason, I don't understand why.

     I continued to walk with Dănuţ until we came to a church. It was rather large church and the people who were housed within were Puritan, I could tell due to the lack of creativity. The walls were made entirely of wood, unlike the Catholic cathedrals. There was no stained glass art and even the priest wore black clothing as if they were all attending a funeral, yet they weren't.

     That was when Dănuţ brought me to him, and I don't mean his ghost. I mean his ghost brought me to see him in the flesh. None of the people there even noticed I was there which was very odd. When I was pulled over, Dănuţ began to lecture me.

     He took my hand and forced me to peer into his hazel eyes, that was when I saw the inner workings of a pained man. Dănuţ is a cursed being who will torment me every moment I am in this house.

     The ghost of a once fruitful man said to me. ‘And as you may now see, Master Jones, I was a man of much prestige and this was back during early colonisation. My friend, the ancestor of your current spouse had taken me here with him. My wife and I, we were quite happy to venture off into the “New World”, to see where corn would grow, and witness ships sliding into the ports of Massachusetts Bay; ships that were full of precious cargo that we so desperately  _ wanted:  _ tools, silver, books, sugar! A variety of products. I was not only a church going man but I was one of the men in the colony who managed the imports and exports of our colony. But that was all taken from me.

     I continued to stare at him for a brief moment, we shared silence and he held an intense glare at me before saying. ‘Listen now! Oh how my friend and I would gossip back and forth, teasing one another and treating our wives as if they were diamonds among pebbles! Oh how we would enjoy our time back and forth, abiding by the law, preaching our good words to the people to strike hope! He lies there: the preacher who always spoke in church! And you see me clearly enough, the young, handsome man who sits on his knees praying to something I have not reached! Elucidate to me why that is!’ Dănuț had barked out, soon gesturing wildly at the young Romanian then to the pale preacher. Said preacher owned his own business as well, and I was told that half the proceeds were donated to the church.

     Once the preacher had finished his sermon a man had rushed up to him to whisper something, so I walked in close and heard the townsman say. ‘Minister, Ah’m soz ta tell theur dis bur thy siblin I’ salem av arrested by t’ church!’ it was a worried stare that the man had gave and your ancestor, Laurens van Geisen, seemed in a state of shock.

     Dănuţ took me and Laurens to observe what happened. They walked among the people and took horses to straighten out what had happened. By this time it was sixteen-ninety-two, September. The two men had rode from Cambridge to Salem. It took them over an hour to get there and when they did, Laurens had to speak excessively to John Hale who would talk to other public figures and the Magistrates. It took quite a bit of work to pull off but eventually they allowed Amra to leave.

     On the ride home Laurens decided to apply quite a scolding to his sister for what happened. Although it seemed less of a scolding but rather a warning of safety. Laurens had begun by saying in Dutch, ‘Little sister, I demand that you stay with me and Saskia until these witch trials blow over. There is no chance that I will lose you, am I understood?’ He had questioned while they rode to the manor that had been made for them through private Dutch contractors that were profitable during New Netherlands.

     Laurens had come from Holland, his mother was a Gelderlander and his father was the Hollander. He inherited money from his parents upon their passing, so at the age of seventeen he moved to the Americas to gain his own wealth. That was when he took his wife, siblings and best friend. His best friend was named Dănuţ and their kismet together was not serendipitous.

     Amra had said to her brother in a somber tone. ‘I'm sorry older brother. I did not mean for this to happen. That wretch of a woman, her name is Deborah Jones! She is quite the deplorable person and she has hated me ever since we arrived in the land. I  hate her, I hate her, I hate her!’ She emphasised the last part and the bonny dame continued. ‘I'm going to stay with you for five years after the trials are over. Then I will move back home and deal with Deborah on my own-’ She had been fuming by this point.

     Laurens interrupted her, saying, ‘You most certainly will not put yourself in Harm’s way, for the sake of your bloodline! If you choose to return to that accursed area then I will not be able to protect you completely.’ Said Laurens followed by, ‘I love you too much to lose you. You and Valentijn are the only family I have left.’ Laurens sighed soon and looked back at Dănuţ.

     Dănuţ looked back after that and pondered in a calm tone. ‘What is it?’ Over his years of being involved with that family, which was quite some time he had learned to fluently speak Dutch.

     Quickly, your ancestor had said unto him. ‘Listen to me Dănuţ, you know that you are just as much a part of my family as Valentijn and Amra. I do not wish for you to perceive it in any other way, and I request that you serve as the best man to the union of me and Saskia.’ Saskia was to be his wife.

     The woman named Saskia had an odd hair colour for a woman of Germanic origin. She was not blonde but rather white. Her eyes were a soothing colour of blue and her face was usually pale as snow as if her body, which was actually warm to the touch, was cold. Her mother was from Luxembourg.

     Dănuţ’s ghost had soon spoken to me and what he said was, ‘This is a day that I had found myself to be so happy in, but yet it turned sour and melancholic soon after. It was quite dreadful!’ The man had soon begun to laugh before I noticed that it rained down upon the people in mere minutes! So we continued to observe, or rather  _ I  _ did _.  _ The being who had brought me there looked with sadness present in his eyes. When we arrived at the manor it seemed oh so different from what we live in today!

     The building was as large as it is today but it was painted brown, it had an ebony door and white window frames. It had one woman standing outside waiting for the travellers. Her same was Saskia.

     When they walked up to her, Saskia inquired. ‘Laurens, where have you been? I was worried sick when my father told me that you and Dănuţ raced out of the village as if someone had died! What has happened?’ She placed her seemingly soft hands on the man’s chest with a worried expression.

    Then, Laurens responded in an annoyed tone. ‘Making sure my baby sister didn't get herself killed. God damned be me, she does not know how to stay safe.’ He whispered and soon Amra walked over to the two soon-to-be newly-weds.

     She said to them with somber eyes. ‘Where shall I stay in the house? What will I have to do around it?’ She seemed to be in so much anxiety and I still do not understand why. After that the dear lady’s brother walked up to her.

     In an asserting way he said to her. ‘My darling sister, you are to be placed under house arrest with me as your guardian. Now I say to you, things are going to be quite fine. You will have to do no work other than sewing and cooking. In repayment I will give you liberty to go around the village as you wish, only do not leave it's edge. I want you to be as far away from that Jones wife as possible. Am I clear?’ He gave her a stern look when asking his question, it was quite clear that he wished to secure his sister's life although it could appear otherwise based on his tone.

     Amra had gave her brother a soft whine in reply. She seemed rather frustrated by what she was told and her challenge was. ‘Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do, I am a grown woman now! In fact I am thirty-three, we have but two years apart why do you believe you're the one in charge? If anything, Valentijn lords over all of us!’ She crossed her arms and turned away from her brother in a fussy manner.

     Annoyed by this point, Laurens, replied in a commanding manner. ‘Valentijn dwells in this house with me and I know thoroughly that he would very much agree with me on this. I am the most responsible among us so therefore I am the one in charge.’ He gave his sister a glare and sent her into the mansion. When they ended their quarrel Laurens, Dănuţ and Saskia entered the house.

     When they closed the door behind them, they paid witness to Valentijn helping his wife with her sewing. The two lovers seemed so happy and excited, not only that but Valentijn’s wife was pregnant. She was round and large now, happily carrying the offspring that would grow up in the new colonies.

     The mother's name was Mary Latham, she was a woman who had come from British roots, her father was Scottish and her mother Welsh. She grew up in Plymouth however; within her life she moved to live with Valentijn when she was at the age of twenty-four and he was thirty-two. She was a very happy woman who took part in many things that her ‘sisters’ of the village did. They all worked together sometimes. In Cambridge you could say she truly came into her own, because that was where Valentijn introduced her to the skill of reading and writing. With Valentijn she excelled among all the other women and usually helped Laurens with finances, believe it or not.

     The bonny dame looked at Laurens and said with a faint, kind smile. ‘Och, master laurens! Ah forgot tae mention, we hae learned 'at th' profits ay yer fishin' business hae brooght in a multitude ay poonds, th' kirk is gonnae see a drastic increase ay funds! Isnae 'at quite excitin'?’ She pondered, her magnificent ginger hair was hid within the white bonnet she wore. Her delicate pale skin seemed, if it was ice cold, though it was warm to the touch. Returning to her work, the bonny woman adjusted her dress’ sleeves in order to assure that they would be comfortable while she worked.

     Cheekily, Laurens replied with. ‘Quite! My spectacular sister-in-law! It is an amazing feat that we have pulled, wouldn't you agree? Oh, how we have risen amongst the ranks of our brethren, now we will be assisting our house of worship to our Lord in a more efficient manner! Yes quite the feat indeed! You my dearest sister, are a woman of such intelligence!’ Laurens had a small smile stretched across his face. His features were brightened and the man had went to get his papers in order.

     The ghost of Dănuţ soon appeared to me and spoke in a very depressed tone. ‘Ah yes, he was such a good man as you can clearly tell. I have no idea what the devil it was that made him stray away from such friendship that we had. That was the saddest night of my life and I will show you why, I hope you are prepared to see what has tormented me for these past centuries!’ He had called the end of the sentence out as if he was a pained banshee, his eyes were hollowed and visibly sad. He had told me all of this without realising I was a man of war and was therefore experienced with the sight of blood.

     Dănuţ’s ghost looked at me and began to speak. ‘The night there was unusually cool for a September night. I, being very fond of the things that other gypsies like to do, began to practice with my divination cards. They seemed to be in my favour so I decided to practice my magic, even if only for a moment! So I took one of the glasses we drank from and began to practice with telekinesis. The cup began to rise  and when I opened my eyes to see it I felt so proud! That was before my supposedly good friend walked in furiously. In his angered tone he said. “Can you believe how my sister dares to behave as if she were some damned queen. Wait! Have I given witness to you playing with witchcraft?! By God, my good friend has been bewitched!” I do not know why he believed me to be possessed or to be a warlock. What I do is different.’ He had said.

     Dănuţ soon continued. ‘I looked at his stern expression and turned to my wife. Her name was Adrienne, she was quite the bonny lass. Her hair was long and dark, neatly combed but yet it bounced with its natural curls. Her eyes were a striking red colour, they reminded me of the fury of war which called to me. Her skin was a deep tan, similar to yours but darker, she had such soft skin and beautiful hands. Hands that were made for practicing the arts of other gypsies! God, she could cook as well, her stews were to die for and she was able to fluently read. I remember that when I was beset with a cold she would bring me soup, performed various rituals that she had learned from her childhood to hasten my healing, then finally she would sit down and read a nice book to me while I ate. God, she was a kind woman! It was saddening to see her go. So I turned to her and said. “Adrienne, take our young Nathanæl and flee from this house as quickly as possible. Clearly my good friend has lost his mind.” I thought he had indeed gone mad, but I had no idea of just how far he was gone from reality.’ He said.

     The ghost sat back against a counter with a saddened sigh while he watched the scene before him, while narrating to me as well. ‘So I was there pleading with him while we stood eye to eye. Since he refused to believe that I was not a warlock he began to attack me. His punches were hard and furious, and out of proving that I wasn't a warlock I would not fight back. I held a simple barrier of defense that he continued to assault. As he attacked my forearms, one of his hands came down upon the top of my head. I let out a pained groan and tried to defend myself against him, but by now he was going to wild and yelling swears. ‘You vile demon from hell! I will smite you and send you back to the depths of fire from which you came!’ The vicious fighting continued into the kitchen and something I never expected had begun to happen. My close friend, or at least the man I referred to as such, had grabbed a knife. I felt such agonising pain as the cast iron blade plunged into my torso, such an act of violence that Laurens displayed that day was unknown to me. The blade plunged into my torso not once, twice or thrice but nine times! He ripped the blade out and I looked up at him, shaking with pain, begging for my life! That was when I felt the knife come down into my back multiple times, sealing my fate. Those pretty white walls were covered with blood now. Laurens stood there panting and groaning in exhaustion from the work he had done. He truly believed he had killed a vicious warlock when it was simply me. This was no just end, and to dispose of my body he lazily dragged it behind his house that night in Cambridge. Without alerting his siblings, he dug a large hole and threw me into it, soon saying. “Rest now, you vile bastardous beast. Return to hell and do not disturb us any longer.” Then he buried me in only five feet of soil rather than six. He left me there and my body still resides to this day.’ Dănuţ was now fuming and his hair was as if lit on fire.

     Soon I was back in the dark place where my dreams begin and end, he stood there floating like a beautiful malevolent specter. He placed his hands on my forehead and whispered gently. ‘When I count to trei you will fall asleep and tell only your spouse of this. Unu. . . Doi. . . Trei.’ And then he was gone.

     And I woke up to only this, the sweet birds chirping, the sun attacking my skin with its light.”

     The tanned veteran had said all of this as if he were in a trance. He hugged Benjamin tightly and nuzzled his side. “I don't know what's happening anymore. . .”

     Benjamin looked down at his darkly skinned husband and kissed the top of his head. “It's okay baby. Come down for breakfast to put your mind at ease and since you seem so anxious about it, we'll check the back yard for any signs of such a body. Okay?” The European-American held Alfred tightly to his body and grinned.

     With a sniffle Alfred hugged Benjamin tighter than he had previously done, the myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy he was born with applying more pressure to the older of these two. Alfred looked up at the man and nuzzled him once more before letting go. Alfred wished that he could place those pale hands on a pedestal and admire them for days. He stood and calmly muttered out. “Fine. . . Let's go eat. . .” Then he headed out the bedroom, only to hear a knock at the front door of the house. 


End file.
